Aardvark's review of: Beast Wars Razorclaw

Name: RazorclawAllegiance: PredaconFunction: Undercover Attack

"Capable of remaining motionless beneath a layer of sand, Razorclaw is one of the best quick attack specialists they've got! When enemies approach his hidden location, his powerful pincer claw shoots up through the surface to capture and impale victims with the claw's protruding cyber-spikes! Radar defeating shell armor allows him to stay cloaked from Maximal sensors. Blaster rifle in secondary in claw fires disrupter particles, temporarily paralyzing his unsuspecting prey."

Razorclaw, the Predacons’ fearless leader! No wait that’s a different Razorclaw…
In a nutshell, Razorclaw is one of the best Beast Wars basics out there. The fact that he isn’t a flip-charger probably helps. On with the review…

Beast Mode:

Razorclaw is a crab* in Beast mode and what a superb mode it is. Excellent detailing combined with a wonderful colour scheme; his shell and claws are translucent blue, which complements the bright orange legs and “crab eyes”, which are further enhanced by lovely gold accents. Not only is his beast mode great looking but it also has a few gimmicks (Which cannot be said for the majority of the basics). Press the switch on the larger claw to reveal the 3 menacing spikes within. The smaller claw conceals a rather cute, silver rifle. However the pièce de résistance is Razorclaw’s munching action, which can be achieved by simply moving his mouth (Partially concealed robot head) up and down… Awesome!

Alas Razorclaw’s beast mode does have its flaws. His crab legs don’t have individual articulation and are rather stiff. His robot legs unashamedly stick out at the back, which lets down an otherwise impressive beast mode.

*Razorclaw is a fiddler crab. Though the colour scheme would suggest he is a Halloween crab, the claws say otherwise.

Robot Mode:

Pull out the left and right shell halves to form Razorclaw’s “back armour” Push down his crab arms and voila; they are no longer crab arms, they are his mighty robot arms. Unfold his robot legs and straighten them out. Push his crab legs back along with the “abdomen cover”. Finally, pull Razorclaw’s head up if you want this shy Predacon to come out of his shell. An easy but effective transformation and another reason to like this toy.

Razorclaw’s robot mode manages to outdo his excellent beast mode; well designed and visually impressive. His chest is bright orange while his abdominal area is gold with blue outlines. The abdominal area is particularly nice and the outlines are a wonderful touch. He retains his crab arms (Along with their gimmicks) in robot mode. The crab claws look great in robot mode and fit perfectly with his other “crab-like” features. His back armour is quite cool and certainly unique; the dark goldenrod armour looks lovely against the translucent blue shell. He’s also got some nifty shoulder pads

His head sculpt is a fantastic design; piercing red eyes and a devious grin, your classic bad guy! I love his expression and its clear to me that a lot of effort went into designing this chap. With 11 points of articulation, Razorclaw is great for displaying and even better for playin’. The only drawback is the 3 gaping holes in his body but aside from that, this is a superb mold.

Transformation: 4. Not as easy as a flip–charger but shouldn’t cause you any hassle. Durability: 8. Well I’ve owned the same Razorclaw for the last 8 or so years and he looks just as good as he did when I first laid eyes on him (How sweet…). No “external weaponry”, just be careful with his feet.Fun: 9. Two great modes… plus he’s a crab with a rifle! What’s not to like? Price: 9. I got mine the minute it hit the toy stores. I’ve seen Razorclaw go for as little as $8. Overall: 9. A must for Beast Wars fans; fun, relatively cheap and won’t take up much room. Get your claws on this chap… NOW!